Jermaine Gassaway

Jermaine Gassaway is an author, educator, superintendent, and lifelong advocate for educational opportunity. His writing is rooted in a belief that books can do more than educate—they can introduce new perspectives, encourage important conversations, and help young people imagine greater possibilities for themselves.

As the author of Unopened Books: Multiplying the 2% and When You Arrive: A Children’s Book About Racism, Gassaway draws upon both personal experience and a career spent working closely with students, educators, families, and school leaders. His work reflects his commitment to literacy, educational equity, representation, and creating opportunities for students from every background.

A Life Changed by Education

Gassaway’s understanding of education’s transformative power began long before he became an educator.

Growing up in Washington, D.C., he saw firsthand how access to quality educational opportunities could influence a person’s future. As a teenager, he received a full scholarship to attend The Piney Woods School in Mississippi. The experience became a defining chapter in his life, exposing him to new possibilities and helping shape his commitment to ensuring other young people have opportunities to reach their potential.

He later became the first person in his family to graduate from college, earning a degree in Business Administration from Johnson C. Smith University before continuing his studies in educational leadership.

These experiences became part of the foundation for both his professional career and his work as an author.

Turning Experience Into Writing

For Gassaway, writing provides another way to contribute to education and reach people beyond the walls of a classroom or school district.

He is the author of Unopened Books: Multiplying the 2%, a work connected to his broader commitment to educational opportunity, and When You Arrive: A Children’s Book About Racism, which introduces young readers to an important and often difficult subject.

Through his books, Gassaway seeks to encourage literacy while creating opportunities for readers, families, and educators to engage with meaningful ideas. His writing reflects the same principles that have guided his educational career: every student deserves to feel valued, challenged, supported, and capable of achieving more.

Leadership Beyond the Page

Gassaway’s perspective as an author is informed by extensive experience at nearly every level of education. Throughout his career, he has served as a teacher, curriculum coordinator, principal, director of schools, and superintendent.

Working in these different roles has given him a broad understanding of what students and educators need to succeed. He believes strong schools are built through effective leadership, high expectations, and meaningful relationships among students, families, teachers, and administrators.

He is particularly passionate about helping educational leaders develop their abilities and creating school environments where students have both the support and opportunities necessary to thrive.

Writing With a Purpose

Whether he is leading a school system or writing a book, Gassaway’s work is connected by a consistent purpose: expanding opportunity through education.

His advocacy centers on educational equity, stronger school communities, literacy, and greater teacher diversity. Through his books, he hopes to contribute to conversations that help educators, families, and young people better understand the challenges facing education while recognizing its extraordinary potential.

For Jermaine Gassaway, authorship is another extension of a lifelong commitment to helping students move forward—using his experiences, ideas, and voice to encourage learning and create opportunities for the next generation.